It was School Day on Tuesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden as the New York Liberty faced the Atlanta Dream. In a game that certainly received a passing grade, the Dream ended up with higher marks with a 85-79 victory over the homestanding Liberty.
This one was decided late in the game as during overtime, the Dream’s defense stymied New York, holding the Liberty to only two points in the extra period.
It was also a game in which New York led by as many as 12 points. Atlanta outscored the Liberty 23-17 in the fourth quarter and by the margin of 8-2 in overtime.
Tiffany Hayes finished with a double-double—27 points and 11 rebounds. She also had three assists, two blocked shots, and two steals. This included going 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
In a losing effort, Tina Charles finished with 29 points—three shy of her career high. She also had 11 rebounds. Sugar Rodgers also had ten points.
All other Liberty players were held to single digits in scoring.
The lone basket in overtime for the Liberty came by way of Tanisha Wright, who converted on a layup with 20 seconds to go to trim the Liberty’s deficit down to 83-79. Other than that, New York was ice cold in overtime, only making one of their 13 shots from the field.
The Dream now has upped its record to 3-1, and will face Skylar Diggins and the Dallas Wings this Friday in Arlington. After that, they play the Fever at home, the Sun on the road, and the Mystics at home.
After starting the season 2-0, the Liberty have lost their last two games with a tough schedule coming up. Their next four games are against the Lynx, Fever, Storm, and Sparks. The game vs. the Lynx is Tuesday May 31 at Madison Square Garden.
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
